Palaeontologists to create 3D-printed robotic dinosaurs

Palaeontologists and engineers at Drexel University have teamed up to scan fossilised dinosaur bones, 3D-print
scaled-down replicas and then use them to build
perfectly-proportioned robotic dinosaur skeletons.

Palaeontologist Kenneth Lacovara has teamed up with mechanical
engineer James Tangorra have joined forces to use rapid prototyping
principles to advance the study of dinosaur movement and
behaviour.

Lacovara explains: "We don't know a lot about the way dinosaurs move. How did they stand? How did they ambulate? Did
they run or trot? How did they reproduce? It's all a bit
mysterious," especially when it comes to the largest dinosaurs.
Currently, palaeontologists have to rely heavily on guesswork and
common sense to assess what movements seem possible.

Lacovara has worked with teams that have unearthed some of the
largest-known sauropod dinosaur
specimens, including a new species Paralititan
stromeri found in Egypts in 2000. These giant dinosaurs
could weigh between 60 and 80 tons, meaning that - unlike some
optimistic dieters -- they can genuinely be described as
"big-boned". This means that it is extremely difficult to
manipulate the bones discovered to test theories about mechanics
and movement. 3D-printing allows Lacovara to build scaled-down replicas that
preserve the exact shape and proportion of the bones. Researchers
can also digitally manipulate the models to correct for changes
that may have occurred over the millions of years of fossilisation
and compression.

This sort of project is similar to Tangorra's ongoing work modelling and making robotic fish. Tangorra said: "We extract
features from biological species and create software-based or
robotic testing systems. It's easier to test a biorobotic system
than a biological system."

With extinct creatures like dinosaurs, however, it is impossible
to study their real-world movements and biomechanics, so any
robotic reconstructions will be more speculative.

The team aims to have a working robotic dinosaur limb by the end
of 2012, and a complete replica within two years.